New Hassan board has heated beginning

Bob Ivey is the new Hassan Town Board chair. He was voted in as chair at the Jan. 3 town board meeting.

Steve Swanson, who served as chair last year after Joleen Havel-Pierce vacated the board’s top position, was voted in as vice chair.

New town board supervisors Jim Kelley, Dan Hunt and Mark Eiden were also sworn in at the Monday night meeting.

The new Hassan board seems to have a decidedly different dynamic, as it got off to a shaky start when Ivey pushed to remove the Hassan resident representative position from the road committee.

For years this position has been held by Dick Martin.

Swanson argued that Martin’s knowledge and long history with the road commission was invaluable to the township, and that Martin should continue as the resident representative on the road committee.

New board members sided with Ivey, though, saying it was in the best interest of the town to streamline township business wherever possible. It was also pointed out that Martin, or any other Hassan resident, could still attend the transportation road committee meetings.